Is 62 grain 762 ammo good for self defense?

[Ivan8883]

I still have a fair amount of E. German 762 62 grain ammo. It has a hard plastic type bullet and shoots perfectly in my AK's but doesnt feed reliable in SKS because of different spring tension in SKS. Since this round will not go through walls, I figure it would be good as a self defense load in a AK. It would just expand when it hit something.Anyone have any ideas on this ammo?

[Destroyer]

Try a water jug test. But I would guess that a bullet that light would probably fragment, and cause a really nasty wound, at close range.
On another note, I didn't even know a 7.62 62gr bullet existed. Guess Iz iznt edjumicated enuff. :P

Have you shot a wall? The E.G. plastic core ammo I shot zipped right thru a 3/4" plywood target at 124 yards.

[Devil Dog]

I would not recommend using this ammo for
anything but target practice. The plastic core is fairly durable and will penetrate quite impressively at even moderate ranges. I personally have shot THROUGH
8" diameter live trees with this stuff at 10 yds. I know, I could not beleive it either!
Recovered bullets in various media did not show any tendancy to fragment or deform to any degree. East German data sheets for this cartridge show range settings for up to 300 meters. For self defence or home defence, use something else! Aside from the legal and political ramifications from using an "assault rifle", a shotgun or handgun is probably a better choice. If you must use an AK or SKS, go with the full power loads.

D.D.

Definetly if you are looking at purely home defense a shotgun is about your best bet. Buy one of the shorter barreled tactical guns. Nothing like the classic click of a pumpgun to put fear into someones mind. And with relatively small shot it would have a very slim chance of penetrating walls. A lot cheaper than an AK to boot $189 at walmart.

[Necron99]

I agree with Jimbob. A shotgun is the way to go for home defense if you are concerned with penetration of walls etc... even 00 buck doesn't have that much penetration. Plus at 20 meters or less a shotgun is devastating, you won't have any intruder sueing you for your life savings because of a superficial wound. Like a buddy of mine says "when it comes to in house intruders use a shotgun, it removes everything but the fingerprints!" http://www.ak-47.net/akcgi/wink.gif